Domino swallowed the lump that began to form in her throat. She hated that feelings had begun to bubble up inside of her. She tried to stifle them back down where they belonged.
Chapter Eight
Sabrina
"I guess this will do," Sabrina said, holding the dress up in the mirror. She was wearing a fluffy bathrobe, trying to figure out what dress to wear to Domino's family dinner. Domino hadn't given her a wardrobe clue: Was it cocktail? Dressy? Casual? Was it a barbecue? Sit down dinner with candles? She grew more nervous by the minute.
"You guess that will do?" Isla said with a dramatic sigh. "Okay, wait, let me get this sorted. You and Domino had a perfect day together, she invited you to meet her parents, you shared what you, in your own words, called an incredible, toe-curling, heart-pounding kiss, and then you... Wait, let me check my notes." She made an affirmative sound, pretending to flip over a piece of paper. "Yep, you told her that you didn't ever want to kiss her again and that... yes, says right here." She pointed to her invisible paper. "That it couldn't happen again."
Sabrina sighed, shoving the dress back in her closet. "That's... yeah, that's the gist of it," she said.
And that gist had made doing her job at Domino's house a bit awkward. Thankfully, on Thursday, Meg had been over to write with Domino, and they had worked together in the living area while Sabrina had stayed busy organizing the rest of the kitchen. On Friday, Domino had been out of the house, and Sabrina had finished the linen closet, the laundry room, the guest bathroom, and the guest bedroom. They were simple tasks that allowed her to get out early before Domino returned.
Isla flung herself back on Sabrina's bed dramatically. "Don't you wonder even just a little bit what she's like in bed?" She said with a giggle.
Sabrina rolled her eyes. Uh, yeah, all the time. "Nope," she lied.
"And are you saying the kiss wasn't the best kiss you've ever had?" Isla asked.
Best ever. Mind-blowing. Holy cow, she could kiss Domino forever. "It was whatever," Sabrina said, rummaging through her closet.
"Are you nervous for tonight?" Isla asked.
Absolutely. "Not really," Sabrina said. "It's just a small family thing."
"Why are you suddenly like this? You're way more of a badass than this scared girl in front of me," Isla said, sitting up again to fix her with an intense stare.
Because her five year plan meant more than a one night stand. Because at this point, she wouldn't be able to go back to being just friends with Domino after going all the way. She could barely pull herself away from a kiss. If she were to sleep with Domino, the next thing she knew, she'd be sacrificing her hard work and plans to go play at the beach.
She shook her head. "That reminds me," she said, narrowing her eyes at Isla. "Are you ever going to tell me the details of who you went home with from the bar? I didn't recognize her."
Isla turned beet red in an impressively short amount of time. "Absolutely not," she said.
"Was it someone I know?" Sabrina asked.
Isla shook her head.
"Was it someone you know?" Sabrina continued.
Isla laughed, rolling her eyes. "Of course," she said, snorting in disdain.
"Wow, you don't remember her name," Sabrina said with a giggle.
"Of course I do," Isla said. "It was... Jenny." She said the name slowly, as if testing it out.
"Wow, you just chose a character from The L Word and you expect me to believe you?" Sabrina said, crossing the room to grab a pillow off of her bed to smack Isla with it.
"Was there a Jenny on The L Word ?" Isla asked with joking naivety.
Sabrina lifted the pillow over her head and Isla held up her hands to shield herself.
The doorbell rang, causing her to pause. "Oh, you are totally saved by the bell, which is a total cliche, and I don't know how you managed to time it," she said, tossing the pillow back into its place.
She walked out into the living room with Isla right behind her. The doorbell rang again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," she called out. Despite having a No Soliciting, Please sign, it was rarely respected. Even with a please! The nerve of some people.
She opened the door ready and armed with her no soliciting speech that was neither too spineless nor too mean, but she gasped in surprise when she saw Domino and Zoey standing on her doorstep.
"Uh, I thought we were meeting at that Target off the 5?" Sabrina said, clutching the neck of her robe. Just her luck –– she was wearing a hideous, bright pink, fluffy robe when the one person she wanted to impress that night was standing on her doorstep.
Domino was holding a large box. "Well, I'm early. And I brought backup," she said, gesturing to Zoey.
Zoey laughed, taking a step forward to hug Sabrina. "I picked it out," she whispered in Sabrina's ear.
"Picked what out?" Sabrina asked.
"Can we come in?" Domino asked, tilting her head to the side with a smirk.
"Yes, of course," Isla said, pulling the door out of Sabrina's hand to yank it wide open.
Zoey walked in, looking around. "Is that a new couch?" She asked pleasantly.
"New to us!" Isla announced with pride about their find. Truthfully, it was an incredible couch, and getting it for 60% off the original price just because it had a giant hole in the back was a steal, in Sabrina's opinion. Besides, she had sewn it up with an almost-matching fabric and voila, it was good as new. "Anyone need a drink?"
"Yes," Sabrina and Domino said in tandem.
"Show her," Zoey squealed, as though she was about to witness someone unwrap a Christmas Present.
Domino handed Sabrina the box. It was heavier than she had expected. She set it down on the coffee table and lifted the lid off.
"It's Givenchy," Zoey said, clapping her hands.
Sabrina's jaw dropped. Folded delicately inside of the box was the most beautiful dress she had ever seen. She gently took the shoulders of the dress, lifting it out of the box to examine it.
It was a knee-length 70s style dress, made of dark blue organza with a subtle floral print of greens, reds, and blues. The skirt flared slightly, and the sleeves came down to the elbow without an underlayer, letting the organza fabric shimmer on its own. The dress glistened in the light, almost creating a stained glass effect.
"Wow," she whispered.
The tag read "Givenchy, Nouvelle Boutique. Bergdorf Goodman on the Plaza, New York."
Sabrina stared at the dress in her arms. She wanted to hug it to her, but she resisted the urge.
Zoey clapped again, squealing. She turned to Isla. "Show me where you keep your hair straightener," she said. The two of them skipped down the hall, talking excitedly about how to style Sabrina for the night.
Domino waited until Zoey and Isla were out of the room.
"I owed you a dress," Domino said in a quiet, shy tone. "I ruined your white dress on the day we met, and I wanted to make it up to you."
Sabrina looked up at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry. "False equivalence," she whispered.
"Do you like it?" Domino asked, taking a step closer to touch the sleeve of the dress. "Zoey said it would look good on you, and I'm inclined to agree."
Sabrina nodded, turning to meet Domino's eyes. "I really do. It's perfect."
Domino smiled, the expression growing slowly on her face until it touched the corners of her eyes.
Sabrina thought of the kiss from Wednesday. She had been unable to think of much else since. Domino's lips tasted faintly of salt, as though she spent so much time in the ocean she had become mostly saltwater. The commanding and tender way Domino had held Sabrina's body, the gentleness of her demanding kiss...
She was in trouble.
But she was proud of herself for sticking to her priorities. She had always stuck to the plan. Nothing went wrong when she was able to focus and go after what she wanted. Her five-year plan included many things, but it did not include a wild rock star.
"Zoey dressed me, too," Domino said, breaking int
o Sabrina's thoughts as if she wasn't already there.
Sabrina looked up at Domino, taking in her outfit for the first time. She was wearing a dark button up shirt that was made of a soft material that clung to her just right. The top few buttons were undone, showing just enough skin to intrigue Sabrina.
She wore trousers tailored perfectly for her, hugging her slim hips. She finished the look with a pair of Chelsea boots and a leather jacket.
Topped off with her slightly messy hair, she looked absolutely breathtaking.
"Were all of your black jeans dirty?" Sabrina teased.
"Every single pair," Domino said with an animated shrug.
"Why am I getting the impression that your parents are like, very formal?" Sabrina asked.
Domino laughed. "Because they are. Formal. They're like the epitome of Reagan-supporting Baby Boomers," she said.
Sabrina cringed. "Fiddlesticks," she murmured, more to herself. "Is there plastic on the couch?"
Domino laughed. "No, thankfully. Their standards lowered by kid number five," she said, pointing to herself.
"Let's get you ready!" Zoey called from the bathroom.
Sabrina sighed. "Should I be scared of what's about to happen?"
"Oh, almost certainly," Domino said with a laugh.
Sabrina stared out the window at the suburbs rolling by. "Do you ever miss living around here?" She asked. There was a quaintness to the area, even with its polished palm trees and strip malls.
"Billie and I got to the beach as soon as we could," Domino laughed. She pulled onto a residential street with sprawling ranch homes. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure,” Sabrina said, resting her chin in her hand as she stared out the window.
“Why did you say you don’t do family things?” Domino asked, her voice tentative.
“My family disowned me when I came out,” Sabrina said. The pain and hurt of it had numbed in the decade since it had happened, but it always felt awkward admitting it.
“I’m so sorry,” Domino said.
Sabrina lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “It’s fine. Well, it’s not fine, but I’m okay. I don’t think about them anymore.”
“Where are they?” Domino asked.
“The desert,” Sabrina said vaguely. “A tiny town outside of Ridgecrest near Death Valley.”
Domino nodded, pressing her lips into a thin line.
"Anything I should know before we go in?" Sabrina asked, her stomach twisting with nerves. She ran her hands over her hair, trying not to undo the subtle wave that Zoey had expertly put in. She glanced in the side mirror to check her subtle lipstick again.
Domino considered her question in silence for a moment. "I guess now is as good of a time as any to let you know that Domino isn't technically my real name," she said with a sigh, parking in the driveway.
"What? What's your real name?" Sabrina asked, taken aback. She watched as the front door opened.
Domino opened the car door before Sabrina could get an answer from her.
Sabrina took a deep breath to steel her nerves, then opened her own door. Domino held the door for her, helping her out of the car.
"How kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule to join us," an older man standing at the front door said, who Sabrina assumed was Domino's father.
"And miss Mom's lasagna? Never," Domino laughed.
Seeing Domino joke with her father made Sabrina feel slightly more relaxed, but as soon as the man's curious gaze landed on her, Domino's posture stiffened and her typical casual ease disappeared.
"This is my friend Sabrina," Domino said, taking a step out of the way.
“Um, hello, it's very nice to meet you," Sabrina said, holding out a hand to shake.
Domino's father took her hand. "You can call me William," he said.
"Is that Dominique?" A woman called from inside.
Dominique ? It was so feminine and fancy... Sabrina tried to keep her expression blank as Domino glanced at her to judge her reaction.
Her grip tightened on the bottle of Merlot she had brought as a hostess gift for Domino's mother.
"Yes, honey, she's here. And she brought a friend," Domino's father called over his shoulder.
"Jeez, Dad, we're right here," Domino said, clapping him on the shoulder as she walked past him into the house.
Sabrina followed behind, closing the door after her.
A tiny yipping dog came running down the hallway to her left, its nails clicking on the floor as it ran. It looked to be some kind of wiry terrier. A Yorkshire Terrier that had a run-in with an electrical outlet, perhaps?
"Oh, beware of the carpet shark," Domino teased.
The dog ran at full speed and nipped her ankle before running away with a growl.
"Ow," she said, lifting up her foot to rub her tiny wound and casually check for blood.
"Don't take offense. That's just how she marks her victims," a man who she assumed was Domino's brother joked.
Sabrina watched the dog run back down the hallway and disappear into what she saw was a bedroom, judging by the headboard and bedskirt she glimpsed before walking past.
"Matt," the man said, introducing himself. He gestured to the very tall, plain woman standing beside him. "And this is my wife, Holly."
Sabrina racked her brain for the run-down that Domino had given her on the way over. Matt was a pediatrician and his wife, Holly, worked at a wolf sanctuary. Sabrina couldn't wait to question her about that.
"Sabrina," she said with a smile.
"So, you're the one organizing Dominique's house," Holly said with a smile that Sabrina couldn't read. "Don't envy you there."
Sabrina forced a good-humored smile. "Actually, the pleasure is all mine. Working on Domino's house has been a wonderful opportunity to innovate and experiment," she said.
Holly raised her eyebrows as if she was about to roll her eyes but thought the better of it.
A woman who Sabrina assumed was Domino's mother popped her head out of the kitchen. "Dominique, dear, would you help me in here for a moment?" She asked. She looked like an older version of June Cleaver, dressed immaculately with hair that barely moved.
Domino murmured an apology and walked into the kitchen just as Billie and Vero and a very large man came through the front door.
She recognized Billie, of course, but seeing Vero De Luca in person was something else. Vero was much tinier than Sabrina had anticipated, given her larger-than-life personality in the media. Her hair was casually pulled back into a ponytail, but she also wore a nice dress that was slightly fancier than anything else the Rush family was wearing –– except her. She mentally high-fived Vero for also bringing her A-game.
Billie wrapped an arm around Vero and held out a hand to Sabrina. "Hey, I'm Billie," she said with a smile and a curious glint in her eye that Sabrina recognized from Domino's classic look. "And this is Vero. And this is Jackson, Vero's bodyguard who insisted on coming."
"So nice to meet you," Sabrina said quietly, completely star-stuck by both Billie and Vero.
Billie introduced Vero, who hugged Matt and Holly, and Sabrina had the strangest feeling that she was intruding on a personal family night. If she was really invited to get the spotlight off of Vero, why had Domino chosen her and not some model she knew?
Vero took a step towards her, touching the sleeve of her gown. "This is stunning," she said quietly so that Sabrina had to lean in to hear her.
"Thank you. Zoey picked it out," Sabrina explained. She didn't volunteer the information about how Domino had given it to her in a way that made her want to jump her bones right there and then, of course.
"Jealous. I wish Zoey was my stylist," Vero giggled.
"Ugh, same," Sabrina said.
"You want something to drink, Jackson?" Vero asked the bodyguard, who shook his head with a firm expression on his face. "He insisted on coming. Like this was going to be a really dangerous situation or something." She rolled her eyes with a grin. "Although, now that I'm here
, I see his point."
The two outsiders watched Billie, Matt, and Holly chat, with Domino and her mother talking just past them in the kitchen.
“I hear the dog bites,” Vero said pleasantly, as though she was talking about the weather.
"Uh, yeah, what's that all about?" Sabrina asked, glancing back toward the hallway.
“Billie tells me that her name is Martha and she hates everyone. She's like a tiny murder machine. Watch out for your Achilles heel," Vero said with a laugh.
Sabrina laughed, too, at the absurdity of it.
Billie turned back to Vero, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You want anything, babe?" She asked.
Vero shook her head.
Billie pointed to Sabrina. "You want wine?" She pointed down at the bottle in Sabrina's hand.
Sabrina nodded quickly. "Um, I brought this for your mother," she said, holding out the bottle of wine. "But I haven't met her yet."
Billie grinned. "Let me guess, she grabbed Domino the moment y'all walked in?"
Sabrina nodded again.
"She's pretty evil that way. Hold on, let me go rescue Dom for you," Billie said, turning on her heel and walking into the kitchen.
"Oh no, now they've both abandoned us," Vero said, just as the room went silent.
Sabrina blinked, then laughed at the sheer awkwardness underlying the moment.
"Sabrina, come in here, please," she heard a woman say from the kitchen.
She exchanged a look with Vero, who gave her a shrug and a sympathetic frown.
She walked into the kitchen to find Domino, Billie, and their mother all huddled around the pantry.
"I was just telling Mom what wonders you've done on my place," Domino explained quickly.
"Ah, well, it was nothing," Sabrina said, blushing as she leaned against the counter.
"Sabrina, this is my mother, Lydia," Domino said.
"So nice to meet you. Thank you so much for having me in your beautiful home," Sabrina said. Lydia was classically beautiful, but something about her dress and demeanor screamed I Will Judge You Harshly.
Bewilder (The Kaleidoscope Album Book 2) Page 8